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Colombia: two kidnapped tourists freed


Source: MISNA

Two of the foreign tourists abducted in September in the Sierra Nevada region of Santa Marta, in northern Colombia by ELN guerrillas have been released, the Missionary News Service reported last night.

Asier Huegun from Spain, and Reinhilt Weigel, from Germany were picked up in a secret location in the forest by a Red Cross helicopter, which transported them to Valledupar, in northern Colombia. Their impending release was announced last week, when their captors asked for international organisations to increase humanitarian interventions in the region.

Two Catholic priests working for a CAFOD partner agency, have been involved in the negotiations. The hostages still held include four Israelis: Beni Daniel, 26, Orpaz Ohayon, 22, Ido Yosef Guy, 26 and Erez Altawil, 24, and a British man, 31-year-old Mark Henderson.

The seven tourists were abducted on a visit to one of the most important archaeological sites of the nation, the legendary 'Ciudad perdida', built by the Tayrona natives and set on fire by the Spanish colonisers, but later rediscovered by archaeologists in the 1970's. Initially there were eight hostages.

A British man, Matthew Scott, managed to escape after 12 days of captivity, reaching an indigenous village after hours on foot in the forest.

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